Science

​   by Reb Gutman Locks   

Science

A Jewish College student majoring in physics asks:

     Judaism uses a calendar that makes it seem like the world has only been around for 5775 years. How can that be if we have fossils that date back millions of years and the dating mechanism for finding out how old they are is only inaccurate up to a few ten thousand years? 

Gutman’s response:

     There are a number of ways to address this question. First, know that the Hebrew calendar dates from the 6th “day” of creation and not from the first day. That means that the first six days are not included in the Hebrew calendar. Also, in common language “day” can mean 24 hours, or quite often it is used to mean “era” (period of time) i.e. “in that day”.

     The age dating process used by scientists is based on the speed of light having always been constant. When they find that the speed of light at the moment of creation was much faster than it is now they will have to adjust all of their dates to the new information.

     In my lifetime scientists have restated their estimated age of the Universe by some 40%. When I was a teen they said the Universe was some 40% older than they say it is now, so really we cannot rely on their dating. With science we use their current information, but we always know that that information can, and often, changes and we simply adjust to the new information. But, whatever the exact 24 hour age of the Universe is, it really does not affect my daily life.

      Even though the scientists often change their minds, the Torah has never changed a single letter. For instance, up until some 100 years ago scientists laughed at the Torah for saying that the world had been created. They said that it has always been here and that the Torah is simply a traditional book created by man and handed down from generation to generation. Then they discovered the Big Bang; and now they say that the universe was created. They say it happened from a very small, very dense stone, which blew up and the Universe is the result. This is also what is written in the Midrash. They are finally catching up to us.   

     If the Torah was simply man-made and handed down from generation to generation who was there to witness the creation and to accurately report it? The Torah has to be coming from a source higher than man.

     There are many things in the Torah that science has only recently come to accept, such as washing your hands after touching a dead body. They have only been recommending this for some 100 years while the Torah has been saying to do it for thousands of years.

     But perhaps the main thing is that Jews who do not follow the Torah almost always intermarry and have non Jewish grandchildren! They or their children have no reason not to intermarry. To me this is perhaps the greatest physical benefit of a Torah observant life; that there will be a Jewish people in the world and that my family will continue to be Jews.

      Also, it has been shown that Jews who follow the Torah live longer and happier lives than Jews who do not. This alone is enough reason to keep the mitzvahs.

     But without doubt the greatest benefit of a successful Torah life is the spiritual experience that comes when you are blessed to see Hashem’s revealed presence. Then you experience the fulfillment of your purpose in having been created.